2007 Sacramento Autorama - Stylin' in Sacto

You can make a strong argument that California's northern San Joaquin Valley is the cradle of customizing, considering how many customizing greats got their start in the region. Pioneers Harry Westergard and Dick Bertolucci plied their trade in Sacramento. Sam and George Barris got their start in the same area before moving to Los Angeles, while Gene Winfield did his early work in nearby Modesto.

With so much local custom history, it's no wonder the Sacramento Autorama has always drawn a high proportion of tail draggers and 'sleds. The event itself has a pretty rich history too. Started by H.A. Bagdasarian in 1950, the Sacramento Autorama is billed as the second-longest-running indoor car show anywhere. It's also one of the larger indoor shows in the West, drawing more than 350 vehicles into multiple buildings on the Cal Expo complex. It has always been a strong draw for San Francisco Bay Area cars, not to mention many from the central valley and beyond.

In 1991, the Autorama initiated the World's Most Beautiful Custom award. Much like the America's Most Beautiful Roadster award at the Grand National Roadster Show, the WMBC honor comes with an 8-foot-tall perpetual trophy, dubbed the Baggy in honor of Bagdasarian. In the past, Baggy himself would select the top custom, but the award was elevated to its own class two years ago. The honor is now earned based on a points system from a judging staff, with Bagdasarian awarding the trophy on Sunday.

Needless to say, the WMBC competition brings some outstanding customs to Sacramento every year, which was one of the main reasons we decided to take in the 57th annual gathering, held this past February 9-11. We hope you'll enjoy checking them out in print as much as we enjoyed drooling at them through the viewfinder. When you're done reading, be sure to check out the expanded coverage-including some cool rods to complement the customs on our Web site, www.rodandcustommagazine.com.